n4m3z/RescopePrompt

RescopePrompt

Narrow a skill's allowed-tools frontmatter to the tools the workflow actually invokes. Implicit "*" and undeclared scope are treated as bugs. Referenced by ForgeAdopt as the rescope transform.

What to narrow

• allowed-tools: "*" — treat as declaration of intent, not trust; enumerate explicitly
• Missing allowed-tools — add the field with the narrowest set the skill needs
• Overbroad grants (for example Bash when the skill only reads files) — strip
• Comma-separated strings with trailing whitespace, duplicates, or inconsistent casing — normalize

Procedure

1. Read the skill body end-to-end.
2. Identify every tool the workflow invokes. Watch for indirect invocation (a Bash command calling a tool the skill uses).
3. Start from zero. Add only the tools the workflow actually uses.
4. Prefer read-only scope (Read, Grep, Glob) over write or exec when the workflow allows.
5. If the skill invokes shell commands, grant Bash but note the expected command family in a comment or the description.
6. Write the result as a comma-separated list in the frontmatter.

Evidence required per tool

| Tool | Grant only if the skill… | | ------ | ---------------------------------------------------- | | Read | reads a file | | Grep | searches file contents | | Glob | enumerates file paths | | Edit | modifies an existing file | | Write | creates or overwrites a file | | Bash | invokes shell commands | | Skill | composes other skills as build steps | | WebFetch | retrieves remote content over HTTP |

Constraints

• Never grant Bash on speculation — find the command the skill runs
• * is never an acceptable final value; if the skill genuinely needs everything, the skill is doing too much
• Do not grant tools to "future-proof" the skill — add them when the workflow adds them
• Document unusual grants in the skill body when the reason isn't obvious from the workflow